No Ka ‘Oi Cinnamon Rolls Made By Hand With Aloha

Cinnamon rolls baked fresh daily by the Victoria Briggs. Courtesy photo.

By Sonia Isotov

At 7 a.m., Victoria Briggs, the owner and chief baker at No Ka ‘Oi Cinnamon Rolls, can be found rolling out the dough and baking hundreds of fresh cinnamon rolls every day; each one made with “lots of aloha.”

No Ka ‘Oi Cinnamon Rolls opened at the Whales Village Shopping Center on March 15 and is open every day til 1 p.m. Prices range from $3.99 to $4.25 for “The California Betty” Cinnamon Roll which features raisins and the bakery’s signature cream cheese frosting.

Briggs, the self-proclaimed “Baking Goddess,”is the owner and sole employee of the business. She takes much pride in baking and selling and greeting her customers every day in her store.

When asked about her most popular menu item, Briggs said that would have to be “The Local Girl” cinnamon roll with macadamia nuts grown on Maui. Briggs goes on to explain that she uses organic eggs and natural ingredients in her products and believes in “cooking with love.”

“Every singles cinnamon roll is touched by my hands,” she said. “I tell them how beautiful they are when I am preparing them. I really do. Cooking with aloha is the key to everything for me.”

Victoria Briggs, owner of No Ka ‘Oi Cinnamon rolls at Whalers Village on store on opening day. Courtesy photo.

Briggs said that her love for cinnamon rolls started one holiday season on Maui.

“On Christmas Eve, I found myself thinking about their preparation and how wonderful aroma of them baking in the morning while opening presents would create lasting memories for our girls.

“I had never made cinnamon rolls or even used yeast,” Brigg said. “So I researched on the internet, and got advice from my friends who are pastry chefs. I threw caution to the wind, and went for it and a Christmas tradition was born.”

A small business was born, too.

By May 2012, Briggs was renting out a commercial kitchen space and launching her small business. Prior to opening is first retail storefront, No Ka ‘Oi Cinnamon Rolls had been wholesaling product for almost a year.

Briggs says that her cinnamon rolls are now sold at several different venues on the West Side of Maui, including Hula Girls, Honolua Store, Lulu’s Lahaina Surf Club & Grill, Hawaiian Village Coffee, Maui Grown Coffee Company Store, Aina Gourmet Market (Honua Kai Resort & Spa) and the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua.

“The opening of the storefront has gone very smoothly and I have been having a great time working in the store every day. I love having the contact with customers on a daily basis. This was missing when I was only doing wholesale,” said Briggs.

“It is a great feeling seeing people enjoy something I put my heart and soul into.  The word is slowly spreading that we are open and we have been getting a lot of positive feedback so far.”